Talk:McDonaldization/Archives/2015

Explanation

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Could someone please explain this sentence to me: "McDonaldization is a reconceptualization of rationalization, or moving from traditional to rational modes of thought, and scientific management." Im from Germany, very hard to understand where the seperated sentences refer to ... Greetings J.

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Is this some kind of elaborate joke?

No. It's a very real effect. Wait 20 years and you'll see.

A simple Google search would have shown enough evidence that this isn't a joke. There is no indication that it is, so I don't know what the original poster was implying.

That he is an idiot?

This was taught to me in Sociology at A-level, and it's not really a hugely stupid topic. It's more of a way of expressing what's happening in society than trying to judge it, trying to come up with a theory of what's making up society today rather than do anything about it. ...OKAY, yah, it is quite stupid, but then so's all of Sociology... Oh, and what I came here to ask- why is the Super Size Me (movie) link here? I don't think it really has anything to do with McDonaldization, I thought it was about how unheathy the "resteraunt" is? I'm going to remove it, if someone adds it again please justify it here first! --Oppolo 00:14, 24 September 2005 (UTC)

At least sociologists can spell "restaurant" and "unhealthy". Anyway, "Supersize Me" relates to McDonaldization to some extent, although the connection is tenuous. One of the dimensions of McDonaldization is quantification and calculability...this means that people think they are getting more for their money. A "supersized" meal is supposedly giving you more for your money, but as we all learned from the movie, it's giving you more of many things you do not need or want.

-- Actually, "Super Size Me" has quite a bit to do with McDonaldization. One of the main points of Ritzer's McDonaldization thesis is that rational bureaucratic organizations, like McDonalds, spawn irrationalities in the society in which they operate. Thus, from the standpoint of a shareholder or executive of McDonald's, the corporation operates entirely rationally, i.e. selling cheap, tasty food for a "healthy" (excuse the pun) profit. As "Super Size Me" points out, however, McDonald's has many irrational effects on individuals and society when viewed from a more critical angle. Things such as obesity, environmental degradation, poor working conditions, cultural decline, and brainwashed children are all products of the "rational" operation of McDonalds. And remember, McDonalds is just the eponymous example of the process of McDonaldization (McDonaldization was first written in 1993. Wal-Mart has probably eclipsed McDonald's as the new McDonald's). The idea is that many parts of society are becoming McDonaldized, i.e. the entire service sector, government, education, even War! Ritzer is updating Weber's idea of the Iron Cage of Rationality.

Super Size Me did not directly reference the sociological theory of McDonaldization. The film and the Ritzer book both come to the same conclusions about the McDonalds company, but from different angles. The film is about McDonalds, not McDonaldization.

Also, I came here looking for ISBN numbers for the books, but they weren't there, so I'm adding them now. Superbo 22:52, 29 March 2006 (UTC)

have you ever noticed that there are often McDonalds in Wal-Marts, McDonalds always has a Disney toy when a new movie comes out, and Wal-Mart always advertizes the new disney movie when it comes out? Just wonderin....

LOL

The more I read it seems like a big joke. Warren (talk) 19:00, 4 October 2011 (UTC)